1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to door mechanisms for transportation containers that are adapted to contain various materials for storage and transport, and, in particular, to a door mechanism for a transportation container having a material receiving opening extending through a surface of the transportation container.
2. Description of Related Art
Containers and transportation containers are used in various applications in the industries to temporarily store and contain materials prior to ultimate disposition. For example, many such transportation containers are used to hold garbage, waste material, refuse, discarded material, etc. Once the material is collected in the container, a vehicle, such as a truck, transports the container to a disposal location.
These transportation containers come in many shapes and sizes. Further, these containers can be movable on wheels and “staged” on the ground surface, thus requiring a vehicle to lift or tow the container. In order to appropriately house the material inside of the container, the container is typically a box-like structure with multiple sides, at least one of which is used to place the material therein. Various containers for carrying and/or transporting material are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,120,415 to Hopkins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,523 to Galbreath et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,267 to Friesen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,616 to Schmidt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,301 to Pickler; U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,016 to Crenshaw; U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,049 to Kovash et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,794 to Calhoun et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,672 to Alson; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,153 to Petzitillo, Jr. et al.
The containers and boxes disclosed in the above-listed patents have several drawbacks. Many of these containers employ complicated and highly mechanical latching mechanisms, which are both expensive and difficult to operate and maintain. Further, many of these containers and boxes use door structures that either comprise the entire surface of a side of the container and/or remain physically attached to the container, at least at the hinge point. Still further, most of the mechanical doors are located in a different or difficult loading or material receiving area.
Presently, in transporting certain materials, pre-existing boxes or transportation containers have a material receiving opening extending through a surface, typically the rear surface, of the container. Further, these openings do not include any sort of door or containment means for retaining the waste or material in the container inner area. Therefore, according to the prior art, a tarpaulin or other soft material is strapped over the material receiving opening using multiple straps attached to multiple loops, which are, in turn, fixed to the container. This manner of containing the material in the container also has drawbacks. Soft pliant materials have a short life in such a rugged application. In addition, using the straps together with the material to prevent the material from exiting the container has failed consistently in application during transport. Such material lost during transport is not only undesirable, but may pose serious environmental and safety risks on the traversing infrastructure and roadways.